People,Places and Things

Newport castle sold, to be restored
PROVIDENCE — Newport’s largest privately owned mansion, Belcourt Castle, has been sold to the owner of jewelry company. Alex and Ani Carolyn Rafaelian told The Providence Journal on Monday that she purchased the Bellevue Avenue mansion for an undisclosed price.

According to the Belcourt Castle website, the mansion was completed in 1894 and designed by Richard Morris Hunt, who designed other Gilded Age “summer cottages” in Newport, including the Breakers and Marble House. It has 60 rooms and 50,000 square feet.

Rafaelian purchased the home from Harle Tinney. The Tinneys purchased the mansion in 1956.

In recent years, it has been used for weddings and other public events.

Rafaelian says she plans to restore and renovate it, then reopen it for events. She says she will rename it Belcourt of Newport.

Wright-designed home back on market
PHOENIX — The real estate broker marketing a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Phoenix home that had been slated for demolition says a purchase agreement for the property has fallen through.

Broker Robert Joffe said Monday that he’ll put the home on the market again for the previously listed price of nearly $2.4 million and contact other potential buyers.

Joffe says the buyer’s representatives cited unspecified personal and business reasons for not proceeding with the purchase.

The purchase agreement was announced a week after Joffe listed the home for sale Oct. 22 on behalf of a development company.

The company’s representatives have said it wasn’t aware of the home’s background when it bought the property. The company’s plan to demolish the home in order to redevelop the 2-acre property stirred controversy, particularly among architects and historical preservation advocates.

The home dates from the early 1950s. Wright designed it for his son and daughter-in-law.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joanne O’Donnell issued the ruling Friday, reducing the award by $21 million. Her ruling eliminates $20 million in punitive damages the jury granted Wynn and $1 million they said he deserved because of comments Francis made on “Good Morning America.”

The ruling only affects damages awarded in the case and preserves the jury’s determination that Francis defamed Wynn on three separate occasions, including on ABC’s national morning show.

Francis vowed to appeal the remainder of the verdict.

“Judge O’Donnell committed a judicial error by allowing this case to even proceed to a trial, and she knows it,” Francis said.

Francis’ lawyers also have argued the statements on “Good Morning America” were not part of the initial case and shouldn’t be included in the judgment.

The trial, which ended in September, centered on Francis’ repeated claims that he was told Wynn had threatened to hit him in the head with a shovel and have him buried in the desert. Wynn denied making such threats and claimed they damaged his reputation and put his casino license at risk.

Francis testified he heard about the claims from Grammy-winner Quincy Jones, who told the jury that no such statements were made.

Wynn’s attorney Mitchell Langberg said the casino executive was not disappointed by the ruling. “Steve Wynn is very happy with a $19 million compensatory damages award,” he said.